U.S. Patent Publication 2008/0008808 discloses in general a method of regulating cooking processes in a cooking chamber, in which a gas concentration in the cooking chamber is detected using a sensor.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,041 for a method of controlling a cooking process to involve detection of a gas concentration in the cooking chamber with a sensor during the cooking process. In order to compensate sensor drift, the gradient of the gas concentration detected is here observed. It is furthermore determined when the current gradient has fallen to a particular proportion of the maximum gradient, this ratio, or cooking quotient, possibly depending on the foodstuff to be cooked. If a corresponding cooking quotient is reached, the cooking process is regarded as complete and is stopped or heating of the cooking chamber is interrupted. A disadvantage here, however, is that interruptions to the cooking process, caused for example, by opening access to the cooking chamber, may change the ratios. However, this cannot be taken into account in the method described, such that the results obtained may be less then desired.
The problem underlying the invention is that of providing an above-mentioned method and an above-mentioned cooking appliance which allow prior art problems to be avoided and which in particular function as well as possible and by means of which satisfactory results may be achieved as the outcome of a largely automated cooking process.